This Chinese Luhu-class guided missile destroyer is emblematic of the growing resources Beijing is spending on forces capable of dominating the Western Pacific. Although not sophisticated by Western standards, it has enabled the Chinese navy to evaluate technologies now being incorporated into more capable warships. In combination with new land-based missiles, strike aircraft and other military systems, China’s navy will pose a growing threat to the survivability of the U.S. Pacific Fleet in future conflicts. (Photo Credit: U.S. Navy / Released)
Lasers Could Prove Crucial To Navy Survival In The Western Pacific -- Forbes
The U.S. Navy’s Pacific Fleet is swimming against the tide of history in the East Asian littoral. After three decades of double-digit growth China has emerged as the world’s preeminent industrial power, greatly out-producing America in everything from steel to smart phones. Now it is seeking to translate its burgeoning economic might into military power, and the Pacific Fleet is in the way.
Chinese military leaders view development of stealthy strike aircraft, long-range missiles, and undersea warships as defensive moves after centuries of weakness and vulnerability. U.S. military leaders have a different take, viewing the same programs as “anti-access” and “area denial” capabilities that threaten to drive U.S. forces from the region. Both sides are right: the Chinese are pursuing greater regional influence in much the same manner that other rising nations have in the past, but their goal can only be achieved by reducing American influence in the Western Pacific.
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My Comment: One thing that I have learned about the Chinese is that they are now in a mad rush to not only equal US military power in the region .... but to also surpass it. And while U.S. laser research and it's possible applications look promising .... the Chinese know this and are probably not only doing their research, but finding ways to circumvent such technology.
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